Title: “Stargazing”Artist: Penetralia
From: “In Fear, Faith And Flaws” (2015)
Release Date: November 22, 2014
Length: 5:53
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, Weekly Airplay
Recorded: Clear Lake Recording Studios, Hollywood, California
Genre: Post-Hardcore, Alternative Rock
Label: Liberation/Nomad Records
Writer(s): Koda Espinosa
Producer(s): Penetralia, Bill Owens
is the sixth official single released from the American post-hardcore quartet ‘Penetralia’ since their debut at the beginning of 2014, proving a highly productive year from the up and coming band. It is the first single to be taken from their upcoming 2015 sophomore album ‘In Fear, Faith and Flaws’ which is already being highly anticipated within the alternative rock community. Their latest offering follows on from previous single ‘Requiem For The Fallen’ which continued their succesfull chart run, unexpectedly peaking at number #4. That previous single was lifted from their recent E.P ‘Crimson Blood’ which again continued to show ‘Penetralia’s’ rapid growth since breaking into the industry, that E.P charting at number #1 in the aftermath of a world tour in support of Reported Failure. So as 2014 begins to draw to a close, Penetralia are looking towards the next chapter of their fast-rising career and with a sophomore record expected early in the new year, they begin the anticipation with their first taster of what is to come, with their latest track ‘Stargazing’.
The band had been working on songs together while embarking on a world tour and the majority of their next record is expected to be made up of songs crafted while on the road. They have recently returned home to California and have already begun working on recording these songs for the album, ‘Stargazing’ being a track that was recorded partly while on tour and finished upon returning to their home city. The song was recorded at Clear Lake Recording Studios on the outskirts of Hollywood, California, the same place they recorded songs from their most recent E.P. At the helm of these recordings is producer ‘Bill Owens’ whom worked with the band on their debut record and was swiftly lined-up to return to the production booth second time around. Bass guitarist Gunner Lee recently mentioned the influence that Owens has had on the band,
“The part that Bill has played in our career so far has been immense, he’s supported the band from the first time he heard us in his studios in London and he’s been the most perfect sounding-board that we could have asked for, because he calls us out if we come up with a sh*tty idea and for new bands with hype or whatever you wanna call it, everybody around you tends to just encourage you to do everything you can, the more sh*t you throw the more likely something is likely to stick and that’s not the attitude that we want from people that are around us. We want people who encourage the very highest quality of work and have no problems telling you when you’re not hitting that level and that’s what Bill does with us, he’s been a god-send for us.”The track clocks in at just under six minutes in length, which gives way to a couple of important instrumental showcases and helps show the full ability of the band as a whole rather than just the voice and lyrics. The track has yet to have been played live by the band but is expected to become one of the mainstays of their live show for years to come. It was recorded at Clear Lake Studios in Hollywood between October and November 2014 with production from the entire band alongside Bill Owens. The track will be distributed by ‘Liberation/Nomad Records’ as a CD Single and Digital Download as well as being made available to Airplay from today (Sat, 22 November) and will be the final track released from ‘Penetralia’ in their breakthrough year in the music industry.
Songwriters CommentsQuote:“I’m one of the people in the crowd that we see at every show, I’m just one of those young adults that simultanously have the biggest dreams in their heart but also happens to be a little lost and is just attempting to navigate their way through the mine-fields that is life. The songs that I write are inspired by all sorts of moments in my life, these songs are an extension of either moments that have happened to me and those that I love or feelings that I’ve felt along the way. At the age of twenty-two I feel like I have enough material to draw on for a lifetime of songs and I hope to get the opportunity to showcase as much as possible because putting a song out on a record isn’t an attempt at a career or an opportunity to make money, that’s not what it’s about and it’s not why we do this. We put these songs out there because we connect with them in some way and we hope that our fans can connect with them in a similar way, we hope that our fans can relate to the emotion and if we’re lucky we’ll help them understand something a little better. Just like bands did for me when I was growing up and feeling a little lost.
When listening to songs there was always a connection with the music, songs spoke of my own feelings. ‘Stay Together for the Kids’ by blink-182 while dealing with the sadness of my parents being on the verge of a complete collapse was the soundtrack to a few rough years. ‘Ohio is for Lovers’ by Hawthorn Heights helped me realise that I’m not the only one feeling the pain that I’m feeling and that somehow I’ll make it alright. Listening to ‘It’s Not a Fashion Statement’ by My Chemical Romance coupled with the pain of hear my little brother ask why I have scares on my wrist was enough for me to find the power to move on from that and pull through.
The point is that music and family/friends are the two most powerful tools in our lives, the things that can give us the strengths to be who we want to be and to give us the power to get through our difficult times no matter how difficult. That is the aim whan I’m writing songs and ‘Stargazing’ came from the thoughts of the power music and love can have. We all have fear of losing the ones that we love, we fall in love so passionately sometimes that it hurts us more than heals us. This song doesn’t give people the answers, but hopefully it lets them know that what they’re going through is perfectly normal and that somebody does understand.”
- Koda Espinosa
ReviewSince arriving in the industry at the very beginning of 2014, ‘Penetralia’ have set their sights high and continued to aim towards their own lofty ambition. Little did we know at the time that this group of young California natives would grab the blazing torch once held by pop-punk titans ‘Riot! In The Boulevard’ and run furiously with it, but as 2014 draws towards a close we are now Riot-less and we’re looking at a new band that are aiming for world domination. Of course ‘Penetralia’ are quite far from Riot! In terms of music and style, they don’t have the mainstream cross-over appeal that Riot! Had and they never will unless they change this drastically, their lead singer has a penchant for writing dark gothic novella’s that the rest of the band manage to grind down into three to four minute tracks bursting with emotion and pain but also littered with a heartwrenching amount of romance and beauty, all of which is helmed by lead singer ‘Koda Espinosa’, a man who has his feet firmly on the ground but his head way up in the clouds, you get the feeling that he’s just as ambitious as the seventeen year-old Amy Meyer was when Riot! Erupted into the music scene but in their genre, they have limitations.
There is only so far the band will be able to go without compromising who they are, unlike other bands they will lose something if they stretch too far into unfamiliar territory but with their latest effort, it seems like their just hell-bent on perfecting what they do and their brand new single ‘Stargzing’ proves this. The song opens with a static before we head a guitar being plugged into an amplifier, followed immediately by a powerful drum beat it opens the scene for Koda to sing out in that beautifully powerful high-pitched voice, “Darling, there’s nothing in this world that’s gonna make me run/Cause they say that you’re my princess of gold and maybe I’m just the reckelss one” as opening lyrics go, this could be very much another pop song, but the way that the music and vocals are delivered means that the band veer away from that predicament, it’s a beautiful opening laced with honesty and emotion and it’s instantly clear that this is a love song, of course with a twist.
There’s an inclusion of a piano that adds a little melody to the racous guitar work from both Gunner Less and Beau Nero, the drums by younger brother Jonah keep the power in view and as the opening verse closes out, the passion in Koda’s vocals is as clear as ever as he queries, “Maybe this is destiny/Destiny!” Inspiration from bands like ‘Bring Me The Horizon’ and ‘Asking Alexandria’ are evident as the first pre-chorus arrives and Koda belows out in a more deeper voice and aggressive voice, “What if I can’t let you go?/I’ll carve your name into my arm/Until I feel this pain no/There’s nothing good about building up walls/I’d rather die in tragedy than live without you in this hole” and it’s a move that bands looking for cross-over appeal would avoid but it’s proof that ‘Penetralia’ embrace this style of music and understand that their fanbase love this sort of music and if they’re to get other fans into their music, they’re gonna do it in their own style.
So with Riot! Leaving, there is a gap in the industry for a new band to grab that spot, there are plenty of bands around that have that opportunity, but it means that none of them can rest easily. It’s about following up good momentum as often as possible, and for a 12 month period, ‘Penetralia’ are the ones that have had a Riot!-like productivity, six singles, a chart-topping debut album, a chart-topping E.P, A highly anticipated sophomore album and support slots on two major tours. This isn’t just a band looking for a brief moment of glory, this is a band that are swinging for the fences and it looks like they’re here to stay.
Lyrics“Darling, there’s nothing in this world that’s gonna make me run
Cause they say that you’re my princess of gold and maybe I’m just the reckless one
But the way that you stand in the doorway with your hand upon your hips
Just makes my heart yearn for another taste of your lips
And they claim that you should see the bad things
The cuts and bruises on my wrists
But you look beyond my mistakes and see
That there’s so much more to me
Maybe this is destiny
Destiny!
What if I can’t let you go?
I’ll carve your name into my arm
Until I feel this pain no more
There’s nothing good about building up walls
I’d rather die in tragedy than live without you in this hole
Nobody prays for the broken hearted
Gives a second thought for the faith departed
Maybe you should know that of all the souls in all of the world
You’re the only one that I ever wanted to call my girl
So if they take you away from me
I’ll drop to my knees
And scream
Bring her back to me!
I’ll find myself stargazing
Looking up at twinkling lights in the sky
I’ll find myself stargazing
Knowing I’ll miss you until the day that I die
And I’ll stare at the the neon blue speckles painted in the night
Maybe if you’re looking down on me
You’ll make sure that I’ll be alright
That I’ll be alright
Will I ever truly be alright?
What if I can’t let you go?
I’ll carve your name into my arm
Until I feel this pain no more
There’s nothing good about building up walls
I’d rather die in tragedy than live without you in this hole
Nobody prays for the broken hearted
Gives a second thought for the faith departed
Maybe you should know that of all the souls in all of the world
You’re the only one that I ever wanted to call my girl
So if they take you away from me
I’ll drop to my knees
And scream
Bring her back to me!
What if I can’t let you go?
I’ll carve your name into my arm
Until I feel this pain no more
There’s nothing good about building up walls
I’d rather die in tragedy than live without you in this hole”
PersonnelKoda Espinosa - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, lyrics, composition, production
Beau Nero - lead guitar, composition, production
Gunner Lee - bass guitar, composition, production
Jonah Espinosa - drums, percussion, composition, production
Bill Owens - production, engineering, mixing
